Unbreakable Bonds
by AnnaDax
Summary: This is the sequel to "The Madness of an Enchanting Obsession". Four years after Sasuke and Hinata disappeared from the shinobi world, an old enemy threatens to ruin the new peace. And only a Sharingan user could do anything to stop that...
1. Chapter 1

_For everyone who hasn't read the prequel to this - Crimson Snow - please go ahead and check it (just two chapters). It is important for this story._

_Amara - the old lady healer that Sasuke found in the above mentioned story._

* * *

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He stared at the ceiling for a brief moment, then sat up on the bed, his crimson eyes fixed on the door. Silence. Only the wind could be heard, flowing evenly through the thick forest that surrounded the hut.

A palm was gently pressed to his bare back.

"Are you having nightmares again?"

His red eyes turned to stare at a set of white ones. Hinata gave the man a worried look and moved her palm to his cheek. In return he blinked, his eyes returning to their usual onyx color.

"Maybe. I don't know any more."

She forced on a smile. "Come on, you need to sleep."

Letting his back hit the lumpy mattress, Sasuke took onto staring at the ceiling again. He finally managed to close his eyes and felt as Hinata shifted next to him, letting her head rest on his chest. Her skin was cool. They had to find a warmer place, winter was near.

_Screams. He could feel the blood on his hands, he could smell its metallic scent. Fire. He entered a building. Blood. Three bodies lay before him. Footsteps._

Shooting up, the man shook his head to cast his dreams away. His Sharingan shimmered in the darkness.

"Sasu-"

"There is someone outside."

He jumped off the bed and grabbed his shirt, putting it on quickly. Standing before the door, he adjusted the Sword of Kusanagi behind his back. "Stay here," he ordered to the woman, then opened the door as quiet as he could and went outside.

There was only darkness. A few clouds traveled through the night sky. His kekkei genkai roamed the small clearing outside the hut they were hiding in. He couldn't see anyone. But felt the energy flow of someone. Someone near.

"Come out," he called. His voice was rough and dry. The unlucky bastard was going to pay for daring to come so close.

Suddenly, a yellow flash appeared a few feet away from him and Sasuke took a step back, carefully tracing the light as it moved forward. The trees were on his way of seeing his target. But it didn't matter. He already knew who it was. As much as he could not believe it.

"Hello again, Sasuke."

Naruto Uzumaki left the cover of the forest and stepped in the clearing, watching his ex-teammate with a smile. His Kyuubi mode was lighting the darkness. The man could finally see his long-lost friend clearly. His smile faded.

The Uchiha's hair was quite longer then before and his bangs were hiding his eyes, probably something done intentionally in order to conceal his features from the foreign people in these lands. And even like this, Naruto could not miss the burning crimson of his gaze.

He took a step back only to freeze, raising his hands up, demonstrating his intentions. "I don't want to fight."

Sasuke had taken out his sword and held it firmly, pointing it at the newcomer. "Leave."

"I need to speak to you. To both of you," the blond noted. His face had become serious and the Uchiha did not miss this, but decided to ignore it.

"I have nothing to discuss with you."

"This is serious, Sasuke."

"You can't possibly say anything that could interest or concern me."

"Naruto-kun?"

The attention of both men was immediately directed at the entrance of the hut. Hinata Hyuuga stood there for a moment, seemingly shocked. The woman then closed the door behind her, her white eyes stuck to the blue ones some feet away.

The Jinchuuriki smiled at her. "Hello, Hinata-chan," he greeted, but did not miss the painful veins he could see on her temples.

"I thought I told you to stay inside," Sasuke spoke. He clenched his jaw and hurried to return his eyes to the intruder.

The woman did not pay any attention to his words. She took a step forward, but did not reach the Uchiha. "Why are you here, Naruto-kun?"

"I need to speak to you two."

"I already told you we have nothing to discuss with you," Sasuke spoke, his teeth grit.

"How… How did you find us?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile. "I've been tracking you ever since the two of you left Konoha. I must admit, your skills of concealing your chakra are incredible. But I have Kurama. As long as I know where to look at, I can find you."

"So what, have you finally decided to drag us back and be claimed a hero?"

The Uzumaki stared at the crimson eyes and gave his old friend a bad stare. "Do you really think I went through all the trouble to make sure no one will find you so that four years later I can ruin that?"

Silence fell into the clearing. Seeing their doubts, Naruto decided to get a bit closer, hoping that this way he would be able to convince them to hear him out. And yet, to his utter astonishment this did not happen.

Sasuke grasped his sword with two hands as electricity flowed through its blade, buzzing in the darkness. Hinata had her hands raised before her and both her palms were engulfed in the bright Hyuuga chakra. The man blinked, parting his lips. He expected this from the teme, but not from her.

"Come any closer and I will rip you apart."

The blond narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Uchiha. What had he done with the poor girl? Were they living into such fear that…

"Mommy, why is this man glowing?"

The door to the small hut had opened silently. A child, not older than four, took a step but remained half hidden by the door.

The situation changed drastically. Hinata flew back, hiding the child with her body, staring at Naruto with panic. Sasuke on the other hand ran ahead, slashing with his sword through the air. The blade sliced Naruto's arm and dug into his torso, only for him to turn into a puff of smoke.

Jumping up, Sasuke spun to see that he was too late. The Uzumaki had used a Shadow Clone to conceal his real self. And now he stood before Hinata, a blank expression on his face. His eyes were wide. He watched as the child moved behind its mother, seemingly frustrated of the situation.

The blond knelled down. This was incredible. How had he not noticed the child's chakra? But then it hit him. He had been able to trace the two so easily exactly because they were giving all their energy in concealing the kid. He could hear Sasuke run towards him, but didn't care too much. Hinata was as shocked as she could be, but this did not bother him. Smiling, the man tilted his head so he could see the kid better.

"Hello there. I am Naruto, what's your name?"

He saw as the child opened its mouth to speak, but couldn't hear what it answered. Picked up by his shirt, he was slammed at the wall of the hut. He tried standing up but was grabbed by the collar and pinned to the wall again. The buzzing light of Sasuke's sword pierced the silence of the night. The blond could feel the blade pressed to his neck.

"And I thought I wouldn't need to murder you," Sasuke hissed, his crimson eyes were deadly.

But it appeared that the Uzumaki did not care what was happening to him at all. His blue eyes were still fixed on the child. A smile had curled his lips. He then moved his gaze to Hinata.

"Dobe!" Finally getting his attention, Sasuke pressed the blade harder and watched as Naruto's blood colored the collar of his shirt.

"Oh cut the… nonsense, Sasuke," the blond noted, happy that he had found a proper word to use in front of the child.

"I'd rather cut your head off."

"Sasuke." The red eyes slowly turned to Hinata. She was standing before the open door, preventing the child from being able to get out any further. The two exchanged looks. "Let him speak," she finally explained.

It took him some time to consider her plea. "Why?"

"Because, for him to come here himself, this might really be important."

Clenching his jaw, Sasuke looked back at the blond, who seemed not to notice the blade on his throat at all. His eyes were still fixed on the child, the little of it he could see.

"Does it have anything to do with Hanabi?" the Uchiha asked.

Naruto blinked. "No but-"

"Then I don't care."

Hinata watched as the man gathered a huge amount of electric power in his sword. "Stop!"

But before she could decide whether to help or to keep close to her child, she watched as an extra pair of monsterly hands appeared from Naruto's yellow light and pushed the Uchiha off of him. Sasuke flew back but landed on his feet like a cat.

"You are close in your assumptions, Sasuke. But you've got the wrong sibling on your mind."

The woman blinked. _Wrong sibling?_ She was confused for a moment, but soon realized exactly what the Uzumaki meant.

"Itachi." Sasuke's voice was only a whisper, but his eyes were still fierce.

"I would have never bothered you if it was not something serious."

Silence again. Painful and long silence. And in the end it was broken by a small voice that sounded a little confused.

"Itaru," the child spoke and stared at the glowing man. "My name is Itaru."

"That's a good choice of a name."

Completely ignoring Sasuke, the blond moved ahead, closing in on the child. He stood before Hinata and couldn't help giving her a smile. Raising his hand, he rested it upon her shoulder.

"I know," the kid spoke again, looking up to face the newcomer. "My daddy chose it for me."

The Uzumaki smiled. Lighted by his Kyuubi mode he could now see the kid better. The boy was a spitting image of its father – dark hair and dark eyes. Only the softness in its face reminded him of its mother. Finally managing to move his gaze away, he turned to stare at Sasuke with the corner of his blue eyes.

"I only wish to speak to you. You deserve to know what's happening. What you decide to do after that is completely up to you."

Sasuke parted his lips. Seeing the Uzumaki again was confusing him. If there was someone that would find them, the Uchiha preferred it to be the dobe. But still, he could not trust him. Not at all. And yet, it appeared Hinata was on a different opinion. Before he could protest in any way, she stepped away from the door and opened it, letting the damn blond bastard inside.

"Hinata," he called, but her white eyes looked at him for only a moment. She quickly entered the hut as well. Sasuke was mad. Why was he here all of a sudden? And why was she on his side? Letting him inside was madness!

He closed the door behind him with a thud, noticing that there was absolutely no use in keeping quiet any more. At least the blond was frozen in his pathetic shock again. Passing by him and Hinata, the Uchiha went to the bed at the far end of the room and took his soon in his hands, picking him up, letting the child sleepily rest its head on his chest. Slowly, he returned his attention to the intruder, who was still dully staring at him. At least he was not glowing any more.

"You…" he appeared out of words. His blue eyes moved from the child that was holding Hinata's hand to the other one in Sasuke's grasp. "You have two children?"

"Twins," the woman noted, smiling lightly. "It kind of runs in my family."

Naruto blinked, but quickly gave her his usual heartwarming smile. "This is amazing!"

"Speak." Sasuke had walked up to Hinata and was staring at her angrily. He then walked to the small table on the side of the room and sat on one of the chairs, the sleeping child still in his arms. The woman joined him and Naruto hurried to follow.

"So," the blond finally spoke, leaning back on his chair and folding his arms on his chest. "Twins, huh? How cool is that?"

"You are playing with my patience."

The Uzumaki raised a blond eyebrow. "I am astonished to find that you finally have acquired any patience whatsoever, Sasuke. Fine, I'll speak. I'm not here to waste anyone's time anyway."

Itaru had climbed into Hinata's lap and absently plaid with his mother's hair. Hinata's eyes were still kind, compassionate, but now seemed tired. There were dark circles below them and he did not need light to see them.

As for Sasuke, he seemed tired as well, though not as bad as he was when Naruto met him four years ago, back in that rocky canyon where the bastard abducted Hinata. But there was something different about him. His skin was pale and his cheekbones were so well-defined that he looked sick. Maybe he _was_ sick…

"It's Itachi," the blond finally spoke.

"Itachi's dead."

"Well…" The Jinchuuriki hesitated. He absently stared at the boy in Hinta's lap as it had risen up and was leaning towards him across the table.

"Doesn't it burn you when you glow like that?"

Naruto smiled. "It feels warm, but it doesn't burn me."

"Awesome," the kid noted and returned to playing with his mother's hair.

To be so easily astonished by his Kyuubi mode, the child was probably not very accustomed to jutsu, chakra uses and different forms of spiritual energy. It had probably neither seen Susanoo, nor laid eyes on its parents' special techniques. And it was better this way.

"Well what?" Sasuke was trying his best to stay calm, he did not wish to wake up his son. This was the third night and its fever was not going away.

"Well, remember Kabuto?" Naruto watched as his ex-teammate rolled his eyes, so he continued. "He is back. We couldn't find him after the war so we decided that you had either killed him or that he was hiding somewhere far. But he isn't anymore."

"And you expect me to care for someone of his likes?"

"No. But… Sasuke, he is using the Edo Tensei again."

Silence fell into the room for a moment. In the end Sasuke stood up and looked at Hinata, who seemed to understand him perfectly. She followed him to the bed of the children. Sasuke left the sleeping boy down and the woman helped Itaru climb onto the bed as well. The child laid on his back as his mother stroke his cheek, then made sure his brother was tucked in well and closed his eyes. Naruto was astonished at how obedient he was. Of only Mirai was like that…

The two quietly walked back to the table. Hinata appeared uncomfortable. She stared at Sasuke, but he did not return the attention. Instead, he leaned in, placing his elbows on the table.

"Itachi. He has been revived again, hasn't he?"

Naruto nodded.

The Uchiha grit his teeth and looked away. "How many times will I need to kill him, damn it."

"Your brother is not the only one revived." The crimson eyes returned back to the Uzumaki. Naruto took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, then exhaled. "Your father as well. In fact, I have never seen so many Uchihas in my life."

Hinata's eyes were wide open. However, Sasuke appeared completely uninterested.

"So," he started. "You already know how to deal with this technique. Seal them away, find Kabuto and murder him."

"If only it was that simple… Sasuke, you should well know what our chances are against fighting an army of Uchihas. Our people are dying with every second-"

"And yet you are here wasting time."

"I am not wasting time. Believe me, if I had another option, I would have never come to you."

"I couldn't care less."

"Sasuke, the resurrected men and women are from the strongest Uchihas to have ever lived. And not only that. Kabuto seems to have found that stash of Sharingan eyes that Obito had been keeping. All that are brought back to life are with real eyes. Eyes that once belonged to someone else. You should understand how strong this makes them."

"Serves you right. You were the ones that caused this. If my clan wasn't dead-"

"You killed the ones that were responsible for the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke."

"Then what do you expect me to do? I am flattered, but do you honestly think I can appear there like nothing ever happened and defeat a pack of zombified kin? How many are they anyway? Twenty? Forty?

"They are more than a hundred."

Sasuke fell silent for a moment. "I will not risk my life for you or your peoples' sake. Deal with this on your own."

"Kabuto is after you, damn it!" Naruto then hurried to cover his mouth with his hand and looked at the kids, happy that they were asleep. "He has done this all so he could get your attention. He seeks vengeance. Apparently because you ruined his plans during the war. We are doing what we can, but they are just too many."

The Uchiha laughed. A quiet, muffled laugh, but it was so creepy that Naruto felt shivers run down his spine. "Itachi managed to get out of the mind-binding spell last time. He will get to that eventually."

"He won't." Naruto's voice was worryingly serious. "He used Shisui's eye and its Mangekyo Sharingan. He then destroyed it. Besides, the revived people… They are not like before. They are completely mindless."

"Deal with this on your own."

Sasuke had just gotten up and was about to leave but Hinata grabbed his hand. He stared at her with anger. "Sasuke…"

"No."

"Listen to me." The woman stood up as well and stared at the man, immense worry in her eyes. "Innocent people are dying."

"Why would that make me care?"

"Because… In such cases people can be desperate. If you… If we can help… Then maybe we could provide a better future for our children. You know well enough that we cannot hide them here forever."

"So you want to go back there and expect that people will accept our boys, just like that?"

"No. But… Sasuke, Hayato needs a medic. And Amara… She is dead. No one can help us now."

"Hinata-"

"Please…" the woman took a step forward and hid her face in his chest. "We need to find a medic," she spoke, her voice muffled by his shirt and by her tears.

Sasuke's face was blank, any expression was completely erased from it. He stared at the top of her head for some time, then turned to look at the sleeping children. And that was when Naruto noticed it. The uneven breathing, the sense of the disrupted charka. One of those boys was really ill. Raising up, he pushed the chair away and headed for the door, staring through the small window near it.

"Sasuke," he spoke, his voice hoarse. "If you decide to come, I will guarantee your children's safety with my life. I will also guarantee their future. Konoha will be glad to accept them. There are a lot of people worried for you and even more that are worried for Hinata. However, if you prefer not to get involved in this, I will understand you. I already understand you. I will go and wait for outside now. If you change your mind, let me know. The sun will rise soon. If I don't see you by then, I will leave and will not bother you ever again."

Before any of them could reply, the blond opened the door and went outside, hiding within the darkness.

Hinata finally fixed her white eyes back to Sasuke. "Sasu-"

"I will not risk everything that we managed to achieve so that I can save people I do not give a summoned rat's ass about."

"And I would never let you risk your life ever again. But Sasuke…" the woman looked at the bed in the far end and sighed. There were tears in her eyes. "Hayato is very ill and I have no idea what else I can do to help him. If we don't find him a medic…" She did not finish, she couldn't.

The man stared at her, then cupped her face with his palm, letting her tears wet his fingers. What if this madness could really give him the chance to save his boy? But this was all too risky. If Kabuto had resurrected his entire clan to get him mad, he would be even happier to get his filthy hands on his children and use them against him.

"This is too dangerous."

The woman's eyes changed from sad to angry. She took a step back, pushing his extended hand away from her. "If you don't want to go, then I will take the children and leave with Naruto."

"And you think you can escape me?" A smirk plaid on his lips, as much as he did not find any of this funny.

Hinata straightened her composure. "I already escaped from you once," she noted, remembering the time when she had knocked him out only to fall into the hands of the rapist stranger. "I can do it again."

There was so much anger written on his face that she involuntarily took a step back. She had not seen so much emotion in him in a long time.

And yet, Sasuke exhaled, going back to his stoic self and ran his fingers through his hair. Somehow the thought of leaving Hinata alone with Naruto made him sick. He clenched his fists, grit his teeth and turned his back to her.

Before she could say anything else to him, he had left the hut.

* * *

**_Note:_**

_Finally! I am so happy to have started the sequel to MEO! I am sorry for this chapter being so long, I just needed a lot to be cleared out here. And more is to be revealed soon. Let me know what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto let a small exhale escape his lungs when he heard the door of the hut open. He did not turn around though, but let Sasuke slowly walk to where he was standing.

The two men stood next to each other, gazing at the night sky. The blackness of it was fading to a deep blue, the sun was soon to shine over the horizon. Silence fell into the clearing and only the wind could be heard, brushing through the branches of the threes in the surrounding forest.

"I am really happy for you," the blond finally spoke, his voice low. He did not wish to disrupt the serenity of this place.

"Get Sakura here. I want Hayato healed," the Uchiha noted, completely ignoring his ex-teammate.

Naruto cocked his head, staring at him with the corner of his eye. Sasuke watched him, his lips pressed in a perfect line. He folded his arms on his chest, staring at the blond with annoyance, waiting for an answer.

"Sasuke, we both know what the condition of your son is. If I go back to Konoha to pick her up it will take me at least four days Even in my Kyuubi form. And it will take me just as much to come back with her. You cannot stay at this place for so long, you are too exposed here. Besides, we both know that the boy does not have eight days."

The Uchiha stared at him furiously. He grit his teeth, clenching his fists. Moving his eyes from the blond, he stared ahead, peering at the darkness.

The damn bastard had a point. But he couldn't risk things just like that. "I can't take them to Konoha."

This time the Uzumaki turned to face his friend, his expression serious. "You could, but not yet. I have made some preparations in advance. Initially only for Hinata-chan, but the kids will be safe there as well."

Sasuke grit his teeth again. He didn't like how the blond referred to Hinata. "Safe where?"

"In Suna."

"You are not serious."

"Oh but I am." Naruto shifted, now turned completely to the other man. He couldn't help but smile. There was the general irritation in his friend's eyes, the usual anger. But he had something different in his face now, something Naruto had never seen before. Concern. It was barely noticeable, but the man just knew the Uchiha too well.

"So the Kazekage does not mind me residing in his precious village?"

"You will not stay there, Sasuke. But I spoke to Gaara already. He will gladly provide Hinata, as well as your boys, a safe place to stay at and political immunity."

The Sharingan user blinked. Wasn't Gaara the one he fought during his chunin exams? The sand user? As far as he could recall, he was a murderous freak. Why would he be a Kage? Yet, before he could protest, Naruto laughed.

"Ah, don't give me that look. You don't know half of Gaara's story. But I won't go into storytelling now. What matters is that he has the one-tail again, he is strong and a great ally to Konoha. Besides, I'd never let Hinata be endangered. Why do you think I've been tracking you all these years?"

The Uzumaki laughed again, but Sasuke did not find this funny in any way. The very fact that the bastard had been so close without him noticing was making him furious. But he had a point. Suna had always been named as the most secure of the shinobi villages due to its position in the desert. He sighed.

"And what are your grand plans for me?"

"After we leave Hinata and the kids with Gaara, we will head to Konoha. But in secret. No one can know you are there. If Kabuto finds out about that and sends his Uchiha army, the village will get trashed again. And we barely finished the reconstruction after your last visit."

Naruto smiled but Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'd rather have Hinata close to me."

The blond's smile quickly faded. "I know. Her clan would be able to protect her better than anyone. But after she left, this caused great complications in the Hyuuga clan. I am afraid that they will not exactly greet her with their hands open."

"Why not?"

"Well…" Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck looking away. "Her clan seems to have been left with the impression that she ran away to find and murder you for what you did to her father. So if they find out that she not only didn't kill you but had your babies, they will not be very thrilled."

Sasuke looked away as well. He knew he couldn't rely on Hyuugas but never imagined them as a threat. And this was trouble.

"I'm sorry," the Uzumaki continued. "I planted that thought in Hanabi's head, but it was to keep Hinata safe. I didn't want her to be labeled a traitor."

Sasuke's teeth were starting to hurt from all the gritting, but he ignored that. This actually sounded quite logical to him and for the first time he actually acknowledged that the bastard had some wits in his head. "Her clan will find where she is sooner or later."

"I know. I was thinking that I can send Hanabi to Suna as soon as your boy is better. This way the two sisters will be able to discuss things in private. You know, catch up a bit."

The two fell silent again. They watched the sky. It was light and the stars were barely visible. After minutes of frantic think-through, Sasuke exhaled. The blond turned to him, a smile on his face that the Uchiha would gladly wipe off with his fist. "So Gaara already knows of your plans?"

"Yep, I informed him before I got here."

"And how were you so sure that I would agree to this?"

"I wasn't. But, knowing you and your Uchiha pride, I figured you wouldn't take the thought of someone toying with your relatives and with your brother. But you seem to have greater priorities now."

Sasuke exhaled and turned around, headed to the small house. "Send some kind of notice to Sakura. I want her in Suna by the time we arrive."

Naruto grinned, staring at his friend's back. "I'm one step ahead of you Sasuke."

* * *

The Hokage was stunned. They had traveled for hours – running, jumping, flying. And the children had not made a single sound. Hayato had spent all the time in his mother's arms, barely awake, but even the seemingly euphoric Itaru was calm. The children were just too used to running. They never staid at the same place for too long. Naruto could only hope that this was soon to change.

It was night again and they had moved unnoticed, thanks to Kurama covering up the chakra of the rest. Suna was minutes away. Landing on the ground, they all walked ahead.

"We aren't going to march in through the main entrance, are we?" Sasuke asked rather sarcastically.

"That won't be needed."

They walked some more to finally reach the wall of the city. It was unguarded, which troubled the Uchiha, but he supposed this had been arranged so less people would see them. Before he could even scan the area with his kekkei genkai, a cloud of dust appeared in the sky above them, lowering until a red-haired man landed on the ground right before them. He took a step, shaking Naruto's hand with a faint smile. His light eyes then turned to Sasuke.

The Kazekage had not expected to see the children but their presence did not surprise him. He nodded at Hinata, who smiled in return, then returned his eyes to the black-haired man.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you inside, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his crimson gaze burning in the darkness. "I know that. Has Sakura arrived yet?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Silence fell upon them as the two exchanged gazes for some time. Eventually he deactivated his Sharingan. He leaned in and stared at Itaru, placing a hand on the child's head. The kid smiled, but appeared uneasy. And yet it did not say anything.

"Look after your brother," Sasuke ordered. He then went to Hinata, placing his palm on Hayato's forehead. His fever was worsening. He could feel his small body shaking.

Black eyes glued to the white ones. The woman appeared calm, forcing on a smile. She wanted to say goodbye, to press against him for one last time, but it was important not to wake up her son. He needed to rest.

"Be safe," she spoke, her voice frail. There was a painful lump in her throat that wouldn't go away.

The man did not respond. He only stared at her.

"I guess this is goodbye," she noted.

"Yes."

The man took a step back, his expression blank. Motioning to his other son to come closer, he made sure Hinata was holding his hand.

"Are we leaving?" he asked Naruto, watching him with the corner of his eye.

"Whenever you are ready."

Sasuke gave Gaara one last stare. Was the man stable? Would Hinata really be safe here?

A small cloud of sand rose in the air and swirled around the woman and two children. Sasuke grit his teeth, trying to even out his breathing. He couldn't help but look at her one more time. Was she always that beautiful?

Within a second he stood before her. The man reached in, holding her by the back of her neck, letting her silky hair wrap around his fingers. He pressed his lips to hers, inhaling the scent of lilac that her skin possessed. The kiss did not last a second. Before she could react, he was already running ahead along with Naruto.

* * *

They had managed to get to Konoha in less than a day and a half. Naruto was intrigued by the way the Uchiha managed to conceal his chakra and his very presence perfectly. But he did not dwell on that too much. He had to worry of covering Kurama's traces himself, something that he didn't find easy.

They traveled in complete silence, which slightly astonished Sasuke. The blond had always been a chatterbox and the lack of his constant blabbering was a good improvement. Maybe he really was suited for being a Hokage. Or maybe they just had nothing to talk about. Not that he minded.

Sasuke dug his heels in the ground, seeing that the Uzumaki had stopped. The gates of the Leaf Village were meters away. Adjusting his hood so that it covered his face better, he turned to stare at the other.

Naruto appeared wanting to say something, but after a slight hesitation, he sighed and smiled at his friend, who returned a blank expression. Who knew that Sasuke would finally step into his hometown willingly?

The two entered. Again, no guards were there to greet them. Walking ahead, the Uchiha started looking around. The village was pretty much the same as before. Only a few buildings were obviously repaired. He barely remembered any details from his attack upon the place. The demon spirit in the medallion had taken over him quickly. Involuntarily, the man touched the front of his chest. Sometimes he could still feel a stinging sensation where the jewel had rested.

They continued in a quick pace, headed for the Hokage building. But Sasuke couldn't miss the new addition to the large mountain on his right. Naruto's face was placed next to Tsunade's, his expression a serious one. The man rolled his eyes. As if seeing him in person was not annoying enough.

There were no people in the streets, which was understandable, it was the middle of the night. Only a few lights flickered here and there. Reaching the spherical building quickly, he followed Naruto and the two started going up the stairs, headed at the last floor.

"Sakura's report should arrive soon," the blond noted without looking at his former teammate.

Sasuke did not reply. Reaching the office, the two walked in to find that someone was already expecting them there.

Kakashi Hatake was leaning on the large desk, his arms folded on his chest. His right, visible eye stared at the Uchiha. And Sasuke however couldn't care less. He took his cloak off and threw it on a chair on the side of the room, barely noticing Shikamaru. The Nara was sitting on a large armchair, his expression serious.

Naruto closed the door behind him. All three men turned to face him and he suddenly felt odd. Smiling, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks for coming here so late."

He walked to his chair and crashed in it, finally releasing all his chakra. This concealing thing was exhausting. And yet, before he could say anything, he felt Sasuke's energy flow free as well. But the man was not tired of hiding his chakra. He just didn't care of doing it any more.

Awkward silence hung in the air for a moment. "Sasuke," the Uzumaki started. "Take a seat."

"I'd rather not," the man replied, his eyes painfully fixed on the blue ones.

"Do you need a medic, Sasuke?" Kakashi waited for an answer, noticing just how beat up the Uchiha looked. Even when he was possessed by a demon he didn't look so exhausted.

The man however did not dignify this with a response. "What now, Naruto? Should I just go ahead and invite my brother to discuss our troubled past over a cup of tea?"

The Hokage grit his teeth. He'd never liked Sasuke's peevish responses.

"We need to discuss strategy. As you are well aware, each Sharingan his special traits. The better we understand what we are dealing with, the more chances we'll have."

Exhaling, Sasuke looked away. "Unfortunately, I did not have much time to bond with my relatives and clan members. Itachi made sure of that. Besides, did you not say that Kabuto has implanted real Sharingan eyes to the revived? We can't know if he has given each set to the original user."

Naruto bit his lip. This was a major complication he had not considered.

"Aren't there any Uchiha journals that we can look through? I know that each set of Sharingan eyes was recorded-"

"This city has been destroyed more than once," Sasuke interrupted. "I doubt that the Uchiha compound is still standing. Whatever there was inside is no longer existent."

"It's worth checking," Kakashi noted, his voice low. "The Uchiha grounds are in the western outskirts of Konoha. Some of the buildings are still standing."

"And the rest? Did you not find anything useful in the rubbles?"

The Hatake eyed him. He was sure that the boy was well aware that they had not found anything when they cleared the debris after Pain's attack. Sasuke was of the main branch family. And Kakashi knew that if anyone knew where Fugaku had hidden the memoirs of his clan, it would be Sasuke.

"No," Naruto answered.

"Ah, too bad," the Uchiha replied. Even after all that time, the craziness could easily be distinguished in his onyx eyes.

"We should still go and look around," Kakashi noted.

Sasuke replied with a smirk. "Sure. What Intel have you gathered so far?"

Naruto took a large folder out of his desk's drawer but before he could open it, Shikamaru stood up, placing his hand over the papers.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but are you really sure it is a good idea to share all this with him? He did try to murder you last time he was here."

Sasuke suddenly laughed. "Please, Nara. If I wanted him dead I would have killed him."

The shadow user turned to stare at the Uchiha, anger filling his face, but Naruto caught his shoulder from across the desk.

"Calm down, Shikamaru." It took a few moments for the man to sit back in his chair. "I am not sure it is a good idea, but do we really have another choice? We did try everything. Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan is almost unusable now. Sasuke's the only option we have."

Silence lasted for a few moments.

"I am flattered," the Uchiha noted, laughing his maniacal laughter again. "But don't get me wrong. I am not here to help you, people."

"Then why are you here, Sasuke?"

He fixed his eyes on Kakashi. "Like I would tell you."

Naruto rose to his feet, his expression suddenly dead serious. "We'll have more time for chit-chat later. Not let's go to the Uchiha compound while it is still dark."

Kakashi nodded and walked to the door, followed by Shikamaru, who appeared slightly hesitant. And yet, before any of them could go out, the door flew open, hitting the door behind it.

A Hyuuga girl, not more than 19 years old, stormed in. Her Byakugan was active, veins painfully visible on her temples. She pushed the Hatake out of her way, walked to Sasuke and grabbed him by the collar. The blue chakra that engulfed her palms cut through his shirt.

The girl needed to raise on her toes to be able to remotely stare at his eyes, but it didn't matter really. He had his red eyes, as well as his complete attention, fixed on her.

"Where is my sister?"

* * *

**_Note:_**

_Thank you sooo so much for all the support, positive feedback and all the nice reviews! You guys are great! :) _

_I updated the first chapter, as quite a lot of people were confused. But I'll just clarify it here as well - in the prequel "Crimson Snow" Sasuke finds an old lady healer - her name is Amara. She was too old and died during their time in the Western Lands. Amara is not a deceased child of Sasuke and Hinata, their only children are the twins._

___If you'd like to have more updates about my stories, you can check my tumblr blog, as I update it regularly with sneak peaks and other stuff (link to it in my profile)._ Will try updating tomorrow. Let me know of what you think :)  



	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi stood at the door, still holding it open, trying to fathom how the girl had stormed through the room like that. She was frighteningly fast. Next to him Shikamaru also eyed the newcomer with his jaw dropped.

Naruto on the other hand was slowly walking to her. His eyes were serious and the smile on his lips was too faint to be real.

"Hanabi-chan-"

"Where. Is. My. Sister." the girl spoke with her teeth grit.

To everyone's surprise, Sasuke was completely calm. He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. A smirk plaid on his lips.

"Answer me, bastard!" She was trying her best to keep her voice as low as she could, but her emotions were taking the best of her. She had to calm down. No one could know he was here.

She was the one to kill him. And there were people in that line.

"Now now," Sasuke finally spoke, leaning in to stare at the girl better. "Your sister would be mad at me if I killed you _as well_."

Their eyes were inches away. Hearing his words her white ones widened.

Hanabi's palms glowed in a flashing blue as she tried to hit the man in the chest. But he was faster. With a single move, the Uchiha had spun her around, causing her to crash on the Hokage desk face first. Gripping her wrists tightly, he held them behind her back, at a safe distance from his face. She tried to struggle away from his grasp, but the man only laughed. He pulled her up harshly, digging his knee in her back, still holding her slim arms. Her chakra lit the place from both his sides, but as much as she tried, she couldn't break away.

Sasuke laughed, watching her struggle. "Ah, you act just like your sister."

A scream escaped her lungs, but before she could think of a strategy to murder him, her palms were released. She fell ahead, gripping the edge of the desk for support. Finally turning back, her fury was replaced with astonishment.

Sasuke Uchiha was pinned to the wall, holding a kunai with his bare hand. Blood was wetting his sleeve as he was trying his best to keep the blade away from his neck. Naruto held him by the throat, an extra pair of glowing kyuubi-mode hands were pressing the man to the wall, seemingly causing him enough pain to make him angry.

A chidori buzzed in the air. Kakashi had his hand raised, his fingertips almost touching Sasuke's forehead. On the far end of the room Shikamaru had his hands joined in a seal and Hanabi could clearly see how his shadow had merged with the Uchiha's, limiting his movement.

The men stood like that for a few moments, until a sound pierced the air.

The bastard was laughing again.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, staring at his ex-teammate with anger.

The Sharingan user fixed his red eyes on him. "You know I can burn you all to ashes without moving a finger, right?"

The Uzumaki did not answer, which triggered another burst of maniacal laughing.

"I thought we discussed this?"

"You wanted me to come here and help you, yes. You have not been too specific with anything else."

The Hokage finally moved away, releasing his Kyuubi mode. His blue eyes were fixed on the red ones with a combination of anger and sadness.

"You can't kill anyone."

"Aside of my dear clan-zombies, right?"

The blonde smiled bitterly. "Yes."

"Ah, nothing I haven't done before."

He was about to laugh again, but a kunai flew his way. Shikamaru did not see it on time to move, protecting the insane man. The Nara froze for a moment, only to realize that he had no control over the Uchiha anymore.

A glowing, ghostly ribcage had appeared in front of him, protecting him from the blade. The light from it had broken the shadow-possession. It had also pushed Kakashi and his chidori away. Sasuke sighed, his Sharingan fixed on the activated Byakugan.

His smirk grew wider as he saw Naruto move, protecting the girl with his body. Hanabi tried to move past him, but the man turned around and grabbing her by the shoulders. The two eyed each other for a moment, exchanging serious gazes.

"Hanabi-"

"Do you really think I would kill her, Naruto?"

Both turned to stare at Sasuke who was fixing his shirt like nothing had happened.

"I do," the blond confirmed. His voice had become strangely intimidating

The girl stared at the Uchiha, expecting him to laugh again, but he simply took a step ahead, ignoring Kakashi who tried to block his way, swiftly dodging his extended hand.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other. The blond was holding Hanabi by the shoulder but she wasn't really struggling any more. She eyed the Sharingan user, her kekkei genkai still active.

"Well," Sasuke started, "I have more important things to attend to than wasting time on her. As if dealing with one Hyuuga woman is not enough for me."

He then turned away, walking towards the door. Naruto sighed with relief, looking at Kakashi. Hanabi finally managed to break away from his grasp and stepped ahead. "Uchiha."

The man had opened the door, but decided to hear her out. He turned around to see the girl was genuinely shocked. Her eyes were as wide as they could be. So she had managed to connect the dots. "What?"

"Is she safe?"

"She is."

"Where?"

His red eyes moved to Naruto. "Discuss this with your Hokage. I don't have time for chit-chat." Saying this he walked out, headed down the stairs.

He couldn't take speaking to her any longer. The girl reminded him of Hinata too much.

* * *

His black eyes gazed ahead from underneath the hood of his cloak. What was left of the Uchiha compound was reminding him of his clan – butchered.

Sasuke walked through the rubble, headed to the core of the compound where the main mansion was. To his surprise it was still standing, though scarred badly by fire and time. The man walked ahead, enjoying the silence of the night.

Uchihas had been cast to the edges of Konoha due to the distrust the elders had in them. But Sasuke didn't mind it. This place was quiet, away from the crowded parts of the village. He could hear the rest of the group walk behind him. He kept his pace, entering the building, leaving the door open behind him.

Neglect. Dirt. Everything was covered with dust and ashes of broken parts. However, it appeared that people were too afraid of his clan to ravage the place, so most things were still in place. The tea table his mother so loved. The large arm chair that his father loved reading in.

He continued on and opened the door to the living room but stopped dead in his tracks.

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

The walls. The floor.

Three bodies on the ground. A woman lay there, her throat slid. Her long, dark hair was wet with blood. Her arms were stretched to her sides. Had she tried to protect the two children, lying dead beside her?

Blinking, Sasuke walked ahead as if in a trance. He could hear screams outside. People were panicking. The Uchihas were massacred. The man extended his hand, trying to turn the woman around and see her face. And yet, he froze again.

His fingers were covered in blood. His whole hand was covered in it as well, turning the light beige color of his cloak in a deep brown. His eyes slowly moved to his other arm. In it he held his Kusanagi sword, its blade bloody.

_Murderer._

He turned around sharply, trying to locate where the whisper had come from.

_Murderer._

He spun again and again, but couldn't find the intruder.

_Murderer._

"Show yourself!" he called as he turned to the dead woman.

His lips parted as he watched her cold, stiff body shift on its own. Her head was thrown back and her hair, wet from the blood, stuck to her face and neck. However, he could clearly see her white eyes. He could clearly recognize her face.

"No…"

"Murderer," her pale lips spoke, blood dripping from her mouth, pouring from the cut on her throat.

Sasuke took a few steps back so quickly that he crashed in one of the walls, knocking the air out of his lungs. He threw his sword on the ground and tried regaining his stance, but his feet were too weak.

"Murderer," Hinata spoke as her head was tilted to the side only to show the deep wound on her neck better.

"No! NO!"

"Sasuke!"

Naruto kicked the door open and flew in the room to find his friend alone, sitting in a corner, seemingly frantic. His sword was cast on the side. His hands was shaking viciously.

"Sasuke," he spoke again as he walked to him. The Uzumaki knelled before his friend staring at him in confusion. The Uchiha was not seeing him at all, it was as if he was seeing through him, concentrated at something in the center of the room.

"No!" He spoke again.

Naruto held the man by the shoulders and shook him. "What is wrong with you, damn it!"

He was panting, on the verge to hyperventilate.

"Sasuke!" The blond, still holding his friend by the shoulders, threw him back, letting the man crash in the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The Uchiha blinked, finally fixing his red eyes to the blue ones. And yet, he did not speak, he simply moved his palms very slowly, covering his eyes. He stood like that for a moment, concentrated on breathing evenly.

Naruto on the other hand was getting really worried. He looked behind his shoulder. The room was practically empty, only a few knocked down chairs and a dinner table occupied the space. Kakashi stood at the door, staring at Sasuke with a blank expression.

The Uzumaki shook his friend again but no response followed. Was he possessed by something again? Widening his eyes, Naruto pulled his shirt to examine a faint burn mark on Sasuke's chest. It was left by that damn medallion alright. But the jewel was not there anymore.

"Did you receive Sakura's report?"

Naruto almost jumped, slightly surprised by Sasuke's voice, muffled by his palms.

"Not yet. But it should be here soon."

The Uchiha did not speak any further. Within a few more moments he released his face, giving the blond a quick look of his usual annoyance before he stood up. The Uzumaki watched the man stare at his sleeve, then at the center of the room. Was he looking for anything? In the end the man took his sword from the ground and walked ahead to the next room. He had to find what he was looking for and leave as fast as he could. This place was too much for him right now.

* * *

"This way."

Sakura followed the red-haired man, feeling strangely anxious. Naruto had sent her to Suna with urgency, but the current conditions were really freaking her out. Feeling uneasy, she fixed the glove on her hand, just in case.

There was not a single guard or person in the streets. Besides, Gaara had waited for her and was now escorting her by himself, no further guards around him, not even his siblings.

The woman sighed and tried not to overthink the situation. If she was dispatched here so urgently then there was no reason for her to question what was happening.

She followed the man, seemingly headed to the Kazekage building. However, they took a left turn, changing the direction. Finally they arrived in front of a tall building with only a few flickering lights seen through the windows. It was the middle of the night after all.

They walked in and again, there was no one to greet them. A few more minutes of silent walking got them to the third floor of the building. This was a hospital, which was explaining why she was summoned to Suna with no questions asked.

Gaara turned, his light green eyes blankly staring at her. "Through here," he noted, pointing at the door he was standing next to. "I will wait for you outside. Take all the time you need."

Nodding, Sakura walked ahead. Her senses were sharpened, she was alert. And yet, opening the door revealed a dim lit room and a woman sitting on a short chair, her head resting on the bed. With the sound of the opened door the woman shot up, turning her white eyes to the newcomer.

The Haruno blinked, her lips parted. "Hinata?"

"Hello, Sakura," the Hyuuga greeted, standing up carefully.

She was in a serious condition. Pale and slightly shaky, there were deep shadows below her eyes. She was too slim. Her cheekbones were painfully outlined. The two kunoichi stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Sakura managed to regain her senses and stepped ahead, placing her hand on Hinata's forehead. Her temperature was fine, but her breathing was slightly odd. She was either dehydrated or undernourished.

"What happened to you, Hinata?" the woman could not help but ask. "Where were you all that time?"

The woman tried to reply, but a strange noise distracted both of them. Sakura had completely forgotten to check the small pile of sheets that occupied the bed, she was too shocked of seeing Hinata.

A cough. A bad, very bad cough. This was a child. And it was dying.

Green eyes shifted to white ones with horror.

"Help him, Sakura. I beg you."

The pink-haired medic blinked a few times, then leaned over the bed to uncover the child and check its vitals. But upon moving the blanket she found she could no longer move.

Sasuke. The child, a boy, resembled Sasuke so much that it was unrealistic. Parting her lips, she looked at Hinata, but the Hyuuga was busy with caressing the poor child to pay her any attention.

And it was her child. Hers and Sasuke's.

_This can't be._

"Mommy?"

The emerald eyes slowly moved down to see a boy, another boy, stand between her and the Hyuuga. The child had a serious face on and had assumed a protective position in front of his mother, his little hands extended. Just like Hyuugas fought.

"It's all right, Itaru," Hinata spoke, her voice low and calm. "This is a very special doctor that has come to help Hayato. Go back to sleep."

The boy, not much more than four years old, looked at his mother, then shifted his black eyes back to Sakura.

"No."

"Itaru-"

"They are… twins?"

Hinata blinked. "Yes," she answered, placing her hand on top of her son's head.

Sakura took a step back to give the child some space so it would not feel so intimidated. God, it even had Sasuke's character. It looked so much like him, acted like him, spoke like him…

_And this could have been my son…_

Hinata watched as the pink-haired woman took a few steps back, confusion and shock on her face. And yet, shortly another wave of painful coughing came from the bed which grabbed the medic's attention.

Sakura shook her head, rubbing her eyes quickly. She had to snap out of that. She could neither get angry, nor upset, nor anything else than professional.

The child was dying. _Sasuke's child_ was dying.

* * *

**_Note:_**

_Thank you for your patience, I try updating as fast as I can, but I had a hard time these few days so yeah._

_I believe next chapter will be out tomorrow. Let me know what you think._


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto needed a few moments to regain his composure. He blinked, then quickly headed after the Uchiha. However, Kakashi stood in his way. Shikamaru was a few feet back, a strange blank expression on his face.

"What happened?"

Naruto moved his eyes to his sensei. "I really don't know. But I don't want to leave him alone for too long. Come on."

The blond walked past Kakashi and headed to the next room. And yet, it was empty. Naruto looked around, then headed to the next room. Empty as well. Checking room after room, he was starting to feel a cold sensation creep in the back of his mind.

Where was he? Had he done this whole fiasco just so he could confuse his stalkers and use the chance to run away?

"Sasuke!"

No answer followed. Complete silence. Kakashi and Shikamaru walked into the room, staring at the frantic Hokage.

"Split up," the Uzumaki ordered. "We need to find him."

Without a word the two men disappeared from the room. Naruto headed to the next one. Everything in this house looked not too damaged, but dusty and abandoned. And yet, the full glory of the Uchiha clan and their main branch family could still be seen and felt in the atmosphere.

Walking fast, the man entered another room, seemingly an office. It took him a few moments to notice some strange smears on the dirty ground. Slowly, he closed in, then knelled to inspect the traces but couldn't quite figure out what had done that. It wasn't a footprint. It was like done by…

A sword.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto grit his teeth and let his Kyuubi mode light the room. He walked around, gazed through the door on the left that led to the inner garden, but the Uchiha was nowhere to be found. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled.

How could he trust him? Of course he couldn't! This was Sasuke after all. The blonde felt the need to slap himself, but only clenched his fists. He was the dumbest Hokage to have ever-

"Will you stop yelling already?"

Naruto spun on his heels, watching as Sasuke climbed out of a hole on the floor. Letting the cover down, the black-haired man stood up, patting the dirt off his clothes. He was holding two very large and very old looking books in both hands. Giving the Uzumaki an odd look, he raised an eyebrow.

The door to the office flew open and Kakashi walked in. "Where were you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Obviously, I was here."

Silence fell in the room as the Hatake watched the onyx eyes before him with doubt. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and sighed in relief. "And I thought I would need to send Hanabi to look for you."

Sasuke's blank expression turned to him. "That would've been fun."

The Uzumaki dropped his hand from his neck and let all traces of humor leave him. "We should get out of here, the sun will rise soon." He headed for the door, staring at the Uchiha with the corner of his eye. Shikamaru joined them soon, obviously relieved that Sasuke was found.

"Shikamaru," Naruto started when they exited the house, headed back to the Hokage building. "Will you go and check on Mirai and Ino for me?"

It took the Nara a few seconds to calculate whether it was a good idea to leave. "Sure," he finally noted.

Taking a right turn, the shadow-user gave Sasuke one last look before disappearing from sight.

Within a few minutes of walking through narrow roads and secret shortcuts, they were back in Naruto's office. Kakashi closed the door behind him, only to meet the blond's dead-serious face.

"I want to speak to Sasuke alone."

The Hatake didn't move. "No."

"Kakashi."

"No," the man repeated, leaning on the door. His visible eye moved to stare at the Uchiha, who paid this whole discussion no attention. He was sitting in the large arm chair across the even larger desk, flipping through the pages of one of the old books.

"Look-"

"I am not leaving you alone with him."

"Feel free to stay as much as you wish," Sasuke's voice was low but it managed to catch both his interlocutors off-guard. "I have plenty of time. And reading material."

The masked man stared at the Uchiha, then returned his attention to Naruto. Hokage Naruto, not his student. He had no control over him anymore. And yet…

"I'll be fine," Naruto mentioned. His face was too serious.

Kakashi took a few minutes to think this through, finally realizing that Sasuke wouldn't cooperate with him in the room. Exactly the reason why Naruto wanted him out. He sighed, shrugged and left the office. And yet, he positioned himself outside, leaning on the building's wall right under the Hokage window. Just in case.

Naruto quickly took his place and stared at Sasuke, who seemed too preoccupied in reading to acknowledge his presence. His lips were moving, barely, but the blond could distinguish some of what he was whispering to himself.

_Easy. Very easy. Nothing. Eh, annoying. Easy._

"What exactly are you looking at?" the Uzumaki finally asked.

Sasuke slowly moved his eyes to him, as if waking from a dream. "Memoirs of the Sharingan. Each of our clan members had their kekkei genkai recorded."

The blue eyes widened. "So if we learn those, we will know what we are up against."

Sasuke released a sarcastic laugh. "You can't memorize them, they are too many."

And he was right. Naruto couldn't. But Sasuke could. The Hokage stood still for a moment, watching his friend flip the pages, reading whatever was written there with his eyes crimson.

A few minutes passed.

"What happened to you back then?"

Sasuke's eyes moved to Naruto again.

"Back when?"

"In your old house." The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused, so he continued. "Come on. You were yelling. You had taken your sword out."

Sasuke blinked.

"Don't you remember?" Naruto's voice was low, his eyes wide.

"Not really," the onyx-eyed man finally answered and returned to reading the book.

"What do you mean not really?"

"I was probably hallucinating," Sasuke noted, flipping a page as calm as the Uzumaki had ever seen him.

"You… hallucinate?"

"Un."

Naruto blinked a few times. "Why?"

The crimson eyes returned to him once more. Sasuke then closed the book with an exhale and left it on the desk. "I'm insane."

"I've noticed," the Uzumaki spoke seriously. "But hallucinations? How long have you been like that?"

"I don't know," the Uchiha noted and took the second book into his lap. "About a few years."

Naruto parted his lips. "Wait-"

"I think the demon spirit broke something in my head."

Blue eyes blinked. "You need a medic."

"Tche, a medic can't fix this."

"You need to get checked."

"I need Hinata."

This confession caught Naruto off-guard. He never thought he would hear Sasuke declare something like that, something so personal. "Does she help you with the fits?"

"I don't have _the fits_. Usually only nightmares."

Naruto didn't know if it was appropriate to smile so he tried his best to stay serious. And yet, the thought of Hinata helping Sasuke's sanity was nice. Logical.

"So… You really don't remember what happened in the Uchiha mansion?"

Red eyes shot up with annoyance. "Why does it matter?"

"Because-"

"I don't remember many things. I told you. My mind is broken."

* * *

"Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?"

Sakura's emerald eyes moved away from the boy on the bed and fixed on Hinata.

"It appears to be some kind of a disease or infection, but it is unknown to me. Something foreign. And yet, it seems it isn't contagious, otherwise you would have it. Or at least Itaru…" Sakura exhaled. She was sure Sasuke had chosen this name. "But I guess you have already figured that much."

The Hyuuga nodded.

"Unfortunately this is not being affected by my healing chakra. I need to do some tests, maybe take some blood from him."

Hinata nodded again. She appeared exhausted, but was handling on somehow.

"Hinata… I am actually surprised he has lived that long. Have you treated him with something?"

The pale eyes moved to the child as she placed her palm on his forehead. "I use my energy to stabilize his chakra flow. This seems to keep his temperature down."

"How often do you do this?"

"A couple of times a day. Maybe three or four. It depends on his condition."

"And how long has he been like this?"

Hinata struggled to answer this. "For… About a month I believe."

The green eyes widened. "And you didn't seek a medic?"

"We did. We just couldn't find one."

Sakura sighed and moved to the other side of the bed, eyeing Itaru as he sat on a chair in the far end of the room, watching her every move with his dark eyes. "Have you done anything else? I need to know everything, this will help me in my research."

Hinata kept silent for a while "Once…" she started but paused. "Once his heart stopped. It was in the very beginning of his sickness."

Sakura grit her teeth. "How did you resuscitate him?"

The Hyuuga kept silent again, moving her hand from the child's forehead to his tattered shirt. She pulled it down gently to reveal a small scar on his chest.

"Sasuke used Chidori. A small version of it actually. He barely made it."

Sakura watched Hinata for a while, imagining the situation the woman had just explained.

_Poor Sasuke._ As little as she could imagine him caring for a child, she had no doubt that he was very worried for his child. _**His child…**_

The Hyuuga fixed the shirt of the child and brought the blanket almost to his chin. She leaned in and carefully planted a kiss on his forehead. Her white eyes were full of concern. And love.

_Did she look at Sasuke the same way? Did she kiss him like that?_

Something buried deep in Sakura's subconscious started emerging on the surface of her mind. Something painful and aggressive. The pink-haired woman grit her teeth and looked away, not being able to look at Hinata anymore.

"He started with a cough. I thought he had caught a cold. Then his heart stopped."

This tore Sakura out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times, trying to breathe evenly. This was Sasuke's child. Sasuke's. And she would do everything she could to save it. For Sasuke.

"What you just said," the medic spoke, finding her voice was a little weak. "I believe I know how to help him. I'll go prepare the medication."

She saw Hinata nod but hurried to leave the room. She needed air.

* * *

Kabuto walked through the forest, slowly making his way to the little clearing he so often used these days. Panting, he stopped and leaned on a nearby tree.

He was weak. Pathetic. And he had two people to blame.

Finally managing to walk ahead, he made a combination of hand seals. A wooden coffin appeared before him, revealing one of the people he had a major grudge on.

Itachi Uchiha took a step ahead. His white eyes shimmered in the darkness of the night.

Kabuto sat on the ground before the revived man and stared as he did not move any further.

"Do you like it now that you can't break free from my control, Itachi?"

The man did not answer.

"Ah, pardon my manners."

He leaned in as he was sitting and started drawing something on the ground before him with a stick. When the symbols were completed he raised his hand and slammed his palm on top.

A deep inhale announced he had successfully modified the seal in Itachi's head. Kabuto raised his gaze to see that the Uchiha's blank expression had changed to an angry one. The additional pupils that orbited in his Sharingan eyes spun for a moment. His irises went from white to crimson.

"Is that better?"

Itachi parted his lips but his teeth were grit. He needed a moment to gather himself. "This plan is doomed to fail. You know that."

"Oh but is it? Tell me, do you like murdering innocent people without being able to do anything about it? Oh wait. Now that I think of it, you may very well be enjoying it. You have quite the experience in this, ne?"

Kabuto laughed weakly. The Uchiha tried clenching his fists, but he had absolutely no control of his movement. And he didn't have an option to alter this anymore.

"Sasuke is smart. He won't fall for your trap, as much as you'd like him to."

Another rusty laugh came from Kabuto's lungs. "Oh but is he? Because I think he will walk right into it."

Laughing, the man smeared the signs on the ground with his fingers, watching as Itachi's eyes went from red to white, though keeping the typical extra amount of pupils that the Sharingan possessed. The revived man walked back in his coffin and the large wooden piece disappeared in the ground.

"Good, good," Kabuto mumbled under his nose, drawing a couple of straight lines on the ground and placing a few small pebbles between them. "Now let's see if your little brother has received the message."

* * *

**_Note:_**

_Thank you all for your lovely reviews, you make me so happy! really, you are simply awesome._

_I really enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be out soon._

_Also, I am in need of a Beta Reader as my current one will no longer be available. If anyone is interested, please do let me know._


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